Stewart, Colbert renew contracts with Comedy Central

Jaclyn is an Idaho native who currently lives in Milwaukee. Having worked in radio, TV and as a newspaper reporter, she is an avid pop culture and news junkie. She also has a passion for photography and cooking (but is still learning to ...

Just last week, Stewart was making fun of the debacle Viacom found themselves in with DirecTV, but the renewed contract shows that despite his jokes, the company knows what they have in The Daily Show.

“The deals indicate that Mr. Stewart, whose show is the most watched of all late-night programming among viewers from the ages of 18 to 49, has no plans to step away soon,” said the New York Times. “[It] also takes Mr. Colbert off the market for at least two more years.”

Besides just ratings, the shows are making an impression on others as well. Just last week, each show received four Emmy nominations.

According to the New York Times, Stewart would not consider leaving Comedy Central for another network.

“Mr. Stewart has been so successful at Comedy Central that people close to him say they believe there is no longer any threat that he will be lured by another television outlet,” said the paper. “It is only a question of how long he wants to continue working on a nightly program.”

The New York Times also reports that Colbert’s decision to not look at other networks shows his commitment to Comedy Central. More importantly, the move also shows he wants The Colbert Report near The Daily Show.

According to the Associated Press, Colbert has hosted his show since 2005, and Stewart has been with The Daily Show since 1999. Both help produce and write their own shows. Stephen Colbert started as a correspondent on The Daily Show before starting The Colbert Report.